Manchester United are being linked with moves for midfielders. A deal for a third could be historic.
After deals for Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, Manchester United are not finished in the transfer market. Another deal is expected – with various players linked.
Whether it is a big name signing or another low-cost addition, Manchester United are strongly tipped to sign a third midfielder.
And this prompted us to look back. When was the last time Manchester United signed three midfielders in the same summer?
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Midfield has long been a problem position for United that has been underinvested in. It is rare that United sign two central midfielders in the same transfer window.
We have documented all of the instances below, all the way back to 1981.
But we can also tell you another fact – Manchester United have never signed three central midfielders in the same transfer window.
This means that a third midfielder deal would be a historic move for United, no matter who it is.
Here is a look at the times United did sign two midfielders in the same window.
2022: Casemiro and Christian Eriksen
Midfield was the top priority for Erik ten Hag’s first transfer window, although recruitment did not go quite as planned.
Ten Hag targeted Frenkie de Jong as his first choice midfielder, but was unable to convinced his former Ajax prodigy to join his new project.
United then pivoted to sign Casemiro for £60 million alongside the free agent swoop for Christian Eriksen.
The pairing made an instant impact but it was a short-term fix, when United had an opportunity to make a long-term investment at the position.
Eriksen was gone after three years and Casemiro four. This has led to United having to reset once again in 2026.
2015: Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger
In 2015 it was hard to tell what Manchester United’s strategy actually was, with Ed Woodward still pulling the strings.
Morgan Schneiderlin ticked all the boxes statistically. He was proven in the Premier League at Southampton and ranked highly in defensive metrics. But his game failed to translate to Manchester United.
Bastian Schweinsteiger turned out to be another flop signing, and a lesson for what United should not do in terms of chasing big names at the end of their careers.
They were presently proudly by Louis van Gaal along with defender Matteo Darmian.
2014: Ander Herrera and Daley Blind
Did Manchester United even realise they were signing two midfielders in 2014?
Daley Blind was signed as a left-back, who also ended up playing at centre-back. But he was also very handy in central midfield, and a player who the club let go too soon.
Both players fared better than the 2015 pairing, hanging about long enough to lift the Europa League in 2017
2007: Anderson, Owen Hargreaves
2007 might have been the greatest Manchester United transfer window of all time bar 1999’s swoop for Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke.
United bolstered the midfield with moves for Anderson and Owen Hargreaves, also signing Nani and Carlos Tevez in attack.
All four players had key roles as Manchester United won the Premier League and Champions League in a historic 2007/08 season.
2003: Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba
Sir Alex Ferguson‘s previous attempt at buying two midfielders in one transfer window did not go very well at all.
Keen to rebuild in 2003, United agreed bargain deals for Kleberson and Eric Djemba-Djemba, hoping that at least one of the two would be successful.
Both deals were disastrous, with the only saving grace that they were cheap. United would have been better off investing in one good midfielder.
There was one deal that stopped this window from being a complete write-off, a £12 million swoop for Sporting wonderkid Cristiano Ronaldo.
1981: Bryan Robson, Remi Moses
The only previous year Manchester United signed two midfielders came before ‘transfer windows’ were even a thing.
United snapped up Remi Moses from West Brom for £500,000 in September 1981, before signing Bryan Robson from the same club a month later for £1.5 million.
Moses went on to play 199 games for United, while Robson became one of the club’s greatest ever players with 461 total appearances.
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